George Eliot as a Novelist.

George Eliot as a Novelist.

George Eliot was the most important woman novelist of her age. She serves as a link between the traditional form of fiction and the modern one. Her emphasis on character, the human psychology, moral values, philosophy in fiction, spiritual growth, realism, her reflective humour, depiction of society and social analysis and a lucid and simple style makes her one of the greatest novelists of all times. Let us discuss the salient features of her art as a novelist.

To Compton-Rickett, “She was the first novelist to lay the stress wholly upon character rather than incident.” She is at her best in characterisation for here we find both subtlety and variety. The Florentine scholars, half-witted rustics, cultured free-thinkers, wayward, passionate natures, shallow, insincere characters, mystics and men of the world. Her wide range of observation, her generous sympathies, and the power of detachment, trained by scientific study, all helped to give breadth and variety to her canvas.

What adds flavour to her characterization is her deep psychological study of her characters. She is capable of making minute analysis of the motives and actions of the ordinary people. She brings to bear upon her study of human beings the knowledge of the student of psychology. Her studies of the inner man are marvellous. Unlike the other revealing the motives,  impulses and influences which govern human behaviour. She is mainly concerned with the why of an action. 

In her novels we find an organic relation between characters and incident. She often treats incidents as an instrument for the development of character. Each incident is a means to probe the character’s mind; each incident grows from some inner trait and reacts upon it. Incident flows from some inner trait and reacts upon it. Incident flows from character and in its   turn, moulds character.

All of her novels are marked by extreme seriousness of purpose. Samuel C, Chew observes: “In George Eliot’s hands the novel was not primarily for entertainment but for the serious discussion of moral issues”.  Despite her frank agnosticism and contempt for strait-jacketing traditionalism, she valued ethics greatly in her novels. Her men and women are gifted with a conscience, inspired with ideals and notions of right and wrong, and given the capacity to choose. Her great law of conduct is the act and its consequences. Character evolves and in the process, there is conflict between egoism and loyalty to others. To a critic, “George Eliot’s concern with the moral side of human nature is the chief source of her peculiar glory, the kernel of her contribution to English literature”.

The moral values are determined by the society, and anyone who tries to trespass them is severely dealt with. Though she condemns some of the social conventions, her moral sense is determined by the society.

George Eliot does not idealise or caricature anything – She presented things as they are. Neither plots and incidents nor the characterization go contrary to the tenets of realism.

With George Eliot, we come to the most philosophical of all the major Victorian novelists, both female and male. She is never content with merely chronicling the result of her observation or with entertaining the reader. She is a critic of life and utilizes her philosophic bent to artistic ends. In her novels, we are aware of the rationalist who, however, does not lapse into vague abstraction.

She had a tragic outlook of life: A tragic vision of life grows naturally out of her moral and philosophical ideas. Sin and folly bring their retribution. The tragedy of her characters spring from an awesome combination of character-traits , circumstances and fate . No human being is free of weakness and giving in to that weakness is bound to bring its own inescapable consequences.

Despite her tragic outlook of life , her novels contain humour . Her humour has about it the quality of ponderous reflectiveness. But often there are some aphoristic strokes, for example,

·      “What a man wants in a wife mostly is to make sure of one fool as will tell him he is wise”.

·      “Animals are such agreeable friends, they ask no questions , they pass no criticism”.

Inspite of the fact that there is prevalence of reflection and philosophy, George Eliot’s style is simple and lucid. Her dialogue is most suitable for the revelation of character and her command of the idioms of the ordinary speech enables her to achieve description, and forceful narration.

Points to Remember:

1.  George Eliot is one of the most important novelists of all times owing to her following outstanding qualities.

a.   Her superb art of characterization.

b.  Psychological study of character.

c.   Characters are revealed through incidents and situation.

d.  George Eliot’s moral vision give depth to her novels.

e.   Her realism.

f.    Intellectual and philosophical elements in her novels.

g.  Her tragic vision—tragic is caused y characters .

h.  Her humour and,

i.     Her narrative style makes her the greatest novelist of her age.